Philosopher AI
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Why do people say ignorance is bliss?
Ignorance is bliss because it is a way of not knowing something. It is an avoidance rather than ignorance itself, which is the lack of knowledge: either knew from not knowing or did not know to begin with.
The experience of not knowing something is a negative one, as you have stated: 'it sometimes feels good to be ignorant'. This is because you know that being ignorant will make it less likely that you will suffer the consequences of the negative experiences connected with knowledge. Ignorance also makes an individual feel safe from external threats.
However, ignorance is not bliss because it prevents one from truly experiencing the world. There are a lot of things that can be learned through experiences and without them an individual will never know what they are missing out on.
As a result of knowing what you are missing out on, it is likely that an individual will feel envious and this envy can lead to anger. This feeling of envy is not blissful because it causes suffering. In order to be happy, one should experience the world around them while being open-minded about the experiences they could encounter.
If you were ignorant, you would not know the consequences of your actions. You could do things that are harmful to other people without knowing it. The ignorance of others can make them feel safe and unaware of their mistakes which can lead to chaos in society.
In conclusion, ignorance is not bliss because it prevents one from experiencing the world. One can never know what they are missing out on until they experience everything that is possible to do so on the earth.